353 Senator
Ludlam: To ask the Minister for Broadband, Communications and
the Digital Economy—With reference to the Digital Switchover Taskforce
and the Satellite Subsidy Scheme which will help households that rely
on analog-only self-help towers to make the transition to the Viewer Access
Satellite Television (VAST) and, in particular, to the switchover process
in remote Indigenous communities:

(1) Is
it true that on or about 1 April 2010 the Minister wrote to remote Indigenous
communities which run analog television (TV) self-help transmission
facilities and mentioned that one of their options for converting to
digital television was to set up a digital self-help TV transmission
facility; if so, can a copy of that letter (redacted as necessary to
protect privacy) be provided.

(2) What assistance could the department
have provided those communities to assess the option of setting up their
own digital self-help transmission facility.

(3) What
kind of financial assistance and information has been provided to inform
homes within remote communities to assess the option of converting to
the new VAST satellite.

(4) What
type of research has the department done on remote Indigenous communities
in relation to the following:

(a) the
average number of TV sets and recorder devices in homes which need to
be converted to digital;

(b) the
extent of insertion of local material into local self-help TV transmissions;
and

(c) the
extent to which only indoor TV set top aerials are needed for current
terrestrial TV reception.

(5) (a)
Can the Minister confirm that the per-home subsidy available to remote
Indigenous homes to convert to the VAST satellite may vary from approximately
$550 to $980; and (b) what was the nature of the consultations that
took place with remote Indigenous community viewers to determine these
figures.

(6) During
the 2010-11 Budget estimates the department reported there was only
one model of VAST set top box available at a cost of approximately $269,
whereas the Minister said at the same time that an equivalent high definition
terrestrial set top box costs approximately $80. Given that portable
indoor aerials for terrestrial TV reception are less expensive than
satellite dishes and mounts: Can the Minister confirm whether the total
private and public subsidy cost of converting homes in remote Indigenous
communities to digital via satellite is nearly always likely to be more
expensive than converting by terrestrial means.

(7) Will
new homes in remote Indigenous communities be faced with the full extra
cost of VAST after the satellite subsidy period expires.

(8) Given
that homes across the remote central and eastern remote areas of Australia
will have access to the new VAST free-to-air satellite platform from
15 December 2010, and that remote Indigenous homes in Queensland will
be invited to opt into the Government’s per home subsidy scheme to
assist them to convert to satellite in April 2011, what is the Government
doing to assist remote Indigenous communities to develop robust digital
self-help facility designs and to compare the overall benefits of converting
to digital via VAST satellite or digital self-help terrestrial means
before these other key deadlines.